I have gone through more types of goggles than I care to admit. Having a small face means that I am limited to a few styles and even then, those styles don't always work well for me. The big issue I have with most goggles is lens clarity, followed closely by fogging. I don't know which is more annoying to be honest.
My husband got a pair of the prescription goggles from the Team Running Free silent auction and he went on and on about how good they were. I figured they were good because they were prescription so he could finally see clearly. He said otherwise. I thought $50 was steep for a pair of goggles so I never bothered investigating any further.
This year I was lucky enough to get a free pair of the RS 101 goggles in the Team Running Free product lottery, with the caveat that I had to review them. They couldn't have come at a better time as my current goggles were driving me crazy. I was curious to try them as I had noticed many of my fellow Master's club members wearing them.
After much fiddling and experimentation with changeable the nose pieces, I finally settled on one that seemed to keep the goggles where they should be on my eyes without pinching the bridge of my nose. I have to say, the goggles did not disappoint. They were crystal clear and they didn't fog. At least for the first few times I wore them. About a month after I got them I noticed they started to fog up during swims. Not a lot, just slightly. It was enough be a bit distracting. I cleaned them as recommended. First time back in the pool they seemed fine. There seemed to be one "fuzzy" patch on the left lens but I thought it was just another foggy patch. I continued to use them until after an open water swim, I lost one of the seals around the lens. It just popped off and I lost it in the water. Not to worry though, I contacted Sable and they shipped me a replacement pair of seals that just easily popped back on. At no charge I might add.
When I was putting seals on I looked through the lenses and noticed that the left one had what looked like a smudge on it. I gently cleaned it off only to find that it wasn't a smudge it was a series of small scratches. This would explain the "fuzz" that I was seeing, and that I thought was actually fog. I was disappointed to say the least. I was very gentle when cleaned them so how they became scratched is beyond me. It obviously doesn't take much to scratch the lens on these goggles. Either that or I'm a lot harder on things than I think I am. Good thing Sable offers a one time lens replacement. I may actually take them up on that.
I have since borrowed by husbands second pair of Sables (after a very annoying experience with a pair of Tyr goggles) and I'm having the same issue with fogging. I haven't cleaned these ones for fear of scratching them. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong if anything. They are always sealed well around my eyes so I am at a loss. Today's swim was no exception. Within 10 minutes the goggles were completely fogged up. I don't want to pay $50 for a pair of goggles that fog up within 10 minutes of use after only a month's wear. If that wasn't the case, I'd give these goggles a 10 out of 10. The fit is great and the customer service is excellent but I expect a little bit more from a quality stand point for the price.
These are my adventures as a runner, triathlete and limit pusher.
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